Profiles

Hilary Knecht '13, Palamountain Scholar

Drawn to Skidmore by its ethos of creativity, its impressive roster of art history courses and the Tang Museum, Hilary Knecht ’13 has taken advantage of these attributes to prepare for a promising career in museum education. This September, she will begin a yearlong paid internship at MassMoCA’s Education Department, where her duties will range from grant writing and the production of educational materials to working at the museum’s KidSpace as an arts educator. 

An art history major and Honors Forum member, Hilary minored in both arts administration and Italian. Among her most influential professors in art history was Katie Hauser, whose personal attention and mentoring were invaluable. Hilary credits her arts administration minor and its director, David Howson, with giving her an appreciation and understanding of the business side of the art world. Her accomplishments in both these areas were duly noted at this year’s Honors Convocation, where she was awarded both the S. Michael Eigen Prize in Art History and the Arts Administration Faculty Award.

I would not have been able to attend Skidmore and to do everything that I have done without the assistance of a Palamountain Scholarship. Skidmore has provided me with copious opportunities as well as the support of faculty and staff, enabling me to pursue my passion for the arts.

Hilary Knecht '13

Upon arrival at Skidmore, Hilary moved quickly to get involved at the Tang Museum. She started as a volunteer in her first year and then landed a Tang work-study assignment in the Education Department for the next three years. As her senior project in art history, she curated a Tang exhibition exploring how artists depicted crowds over a span of 150 years, probing the psychological and emotional reaction to crowds.

Hilary complemented her studies with summer internships at the Hudson River sites of Olana and the Peebles Island Resource Center, supported by one of the College's SEE-Beyond awards, which provide funding for students to apply their academic learning to real-world challenges. She also had an internship at Chesterwood in Stockbridge, Mass., supported by a Skidmore Responsible Citizen Internship Award.

Hilary’s Skidmore experience also included a semester in Florence, Italy, with support from the Messa and Direnzo Family Student Opportunity Fund. While there, she took courses in the history of art and architecture and pursued a program of intensive Italian with a group on international students. As part of her academic program, she led tours of the Cathedral Museum as an English-speaking guide. “It was an incredible opportunity,” said Hilary. “I traveled all over Italy and parts of Europe, and experienced many different cultures.”

Posted 6/26/2013